Hatcher



1961 R. K. BAILEY 2,997,021

HATCHER Filed pt. 2, 958 2 Sheets-Sheet l FIG-1 I! Ill UUUIJUUUI] UUUUIJUUUUUIJUUIJI] UUUUIJIJIJUUIIIUUUUI] L3 INVENTOR.

RALPH K. BAILEY ATTORNEYS BY I; W M4 R. K. BAILEY HATCHER Aug. 22, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 2, 1958 INVENTOR.

RALPH K. BAILEY ATTORNEYS te ttes This invention relates to the incubation and hatching of poultry and more particularly to hatching devices expressly designed for the accommodation of an incubated egg wherein the embryo has been well formed.

Such hatching devices commonly take the form of a generally rectangular, walk-in cabinet with room for one or more roll-in egg tray racks. The hatcher includes controls for sensing and adjusting environmental conditions within the cabinet.

In the commercial operation of hatchers, it is well understood that the highest percentage of yield from fertile eggs is attained only if the eggs in their advanced state of development are subjected to a prescribed schedule of temperature and humidity, coupled with an adequate supply of moving air to prevent stagnation. A detailed description of these necessary environmental conditions may be found, for example, in Bailey Patent No. 2,704,531 issued March 22, 1955, to the assignee of this application.

The period during which the hatcher is in operation for each hatch or load varies according to the fowl, but in the case of chickens, the period is 3%. days. This permits the successive stage loading of a larger incubator machine which may have a portion thereof loaded with fresh eggs twice a week in accordance with usual hatchery practice. As soon as these incubator settings reach the 18-day point in the case of chickens, they are transferred to the hatcher. The hatcher therefore will be in substantially continuous operation, and it is essential that it be so constituted that it may be quickly, readily, and thoroughly cleaned upon the unloading of one hatch and prior to the load of another. Such cleaning of the cabinet interior varies considerably in practice but usually consists of hosing out with detergent and fungicide or disinfectant.

Fortunately, the hatcher advantages which make for efficient cleaning are also effective in the control of contagible diseases and infectious bacteria. Hatchery men must constantly guard against the outbreak of such fatal maladies as pullorum, fowl typhoid and umphilitis, anyone of which can be contracted during the hatching period.

Therefore it is a primary object of this invention to provide a hatcher as outlined above having an improved ventilating system particularly adapted for simple and thorough cleaning.

Another object of this invention is to provide a hatcher as outlined above having a fresh air ventilating blower system in addition to a separate air circulating system.

A further object of this invention is to provide a hatcher as outlined above including an air circulating system wherein internal parts thereof are removable for cleaning purposes.

These results are accomplished by providing the removable internal elements of the hatcher with quick disconnect provisions. In the preferred embodiment, the lcirculating fan, space heating element and humidity sprayers are all carried on a frame which is releasably held on one wall, and a cooling plate is held in place by spring clips and is supplied by quick disconnect type of water couplings. The tray cart tracks are removable by lifting to expose cabinet drain openings.

It is also among the objects of this invention to provide 2,997,021 Patented Aug. 22, 1961 a hatcher as outlined above having an improved system of ventilation and air circulation, and particularly a system characterized by its simplicity of parts and its ability to cool economically by the introduction of relatively cool outside air. An advantage of this arrangement lies in the elimination of the necessity for motor driven dampers.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

In the drawings FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a hatcher constructed in accordance with the teachings of this invention, with a portion of one door and front wall partially broken away to expose details of the interior;

PEG. 2 is a somewhat diagrammatic sectional view of the hatcher generally along line 22 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section through the hatcher taken generally along line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the fan and cooling plate assemblies;

FIG. 5 is an elevational detail view of the fan hanger frame showing the manner by which it is releasably held to a wall member; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section through the floor showing a portion of the cart wheel rails and the cast rail locating insert taken generally along line 66 of FIG. 2.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, FIG. 1 shows at 10 a hatcher cabinet constructed in accordance with the teachings of this invention and including a right front entrance door 11 and a left front entrance door 12 mounted on a front wall 13. The temperature and humidity controls with their associated indicating gauges, lamps and alarms are somewhat diagrammatically shown at 14 as mounted in clear view of the front wall 13 for the convenient attention of an operator. The cabinet 10 is provided with supporting blocks 15 which provide air and drain space between the cabinet and a floor.

The entrance doors 11 and 12 are normally closed in the operation of the hatcher but swing freely open to receive a pair of egg tray carts 16.

The egg tray carts 16 are provided with caster rollers 17 which are received within pairs of U-shaped rails 18 on the hatcher floor 19. Any suitable means, such as an inclined ramp or lift truck, may be employed to bring the cart 16 to the level of the floor 19 for loading and unloading the hatcher. The cart 16 includes a foot brake 20 which is applied against the floor 19 to prevent rolling of the cart when it has been placed in the hatcher.

The floor 19 is provided with cast rail receiving inserts 21, each of which has formed therein a drain openmg 22 as shown in FIG. 6. The inserts 21 normally receive within opening 22 a rail locating pin 23 which is fixed through the bottom of rail 18, and each rail 18 includes at least two locating pins 23 for engagement within openings 22. The rails 18 are removable by liftmg from engagement with the floor inserts 21 to clear the floor for cleaning and, at the same time, to uncover the drain openings 22. The openings 22 may be suitably interconnected to form a common cabinet drain.

It is necessary to maintain a relatively high dry bulb temperature (99.25 F. for example) within the hatch- 1ng cabinet throughout this terminal period of incubation. One source of heat within the cabinet is the animal heat which is exuded by the well developed embryos and the newly hatched chicks. This heat, under certain conditions, causes a heat flow into the inside air which is greater than can escape through the well insulated cabinet walls. Therefore, cabinet cooling means are provided in the form of a cool air ventilating system by which may be admitted cool air at ambient temperature from without the cabinet.

An outside air inlet means includes a blower 25 received within front wall 13 between the access doors 11 and 12. A decorative blower cover 26 removably conceals an air filter 27. As is best shown in FIG. 3, an air directing baffle 28 is also received on the inside of wall 13 and serves to direct air downwardly from blower 25 between the egg tray carts where it may be picked up and put into circulation by a circulating fan supported on the rear wall of the cabinet. The baflle 28 also protects the blower 25 from water when the cabinet interior is being hosed out.

The cabinet top or ceiling 31 has an opening 32 formed therein Within which a sheet metal exhaust damper assembly 33 is received. The damper assembly 33 includes a circumferential flange '34 for fixture to the ceiling 31 and a cylindrical extension 35 over which a flexible exhaust conduit 36 is received. The assembly 33 includes a diametrical brace 37 within which a bolt 38 is threadedly received. A damper plate 39 is fixed to the free end of the bolt to rotatably be raised or lowered to control the elfective area of the opening 32 to control the rate by which the air displaced by the blower 25 may be exhausted. The plate 39 collects any dust or down that would otherwise fall back into the cabinet interior from the conduit 36.

An air circulating fan assembly 40 is provided to move the air continuously within the cabinet and through the hatching trays to prevent stagnation and to maintain constant temperature and humidity conditions throughout the interior of the hatcher. This assembly includes means for mounting an air circulating fan in spaced relation with a wall of the hatcher and means for quickly releasing and removing such fan to facilitate thorough cleaning of the interior without the necessity of shielding the electric motor or other components that may be adversely afiected by water.

As may best be seen in FIG. 4, the fan assembly 40 includes a welded tubular frame 41 consisting of a pair of substantially vertical members 42 terminated at the top and bottom by top and bottom offset depending portions 43 and 44. As shown in FIG. 5, the top portions 43 are each arranged in the form of an inwardly and downwardly turned, semi-circular loop while the bottom portions 44 are turned first inwardly and then downwardly so that the top and bottom terminal ends of the members 42 each face downwardly for removable reception within suitable fastening means on the adjacent wall. The frame members are held in parallel spaced relation by top and bottom fan supporting cross members 45 and 46 and by a lower cross member 47. The depending portions of frame 41 are each received in the loops of four eye bolts 50 fixed to the back wall 51. The frame 41 is adapted to be raised out of eye bolts 50 by lifting, and is shown in the raised position by broken lines in FIG. 5. An angle brace 52 is secured to the back wall 51 by screw 53 to be engaged by the offset portions 44 to prevent the frame from binding within the eye bolts.

The fan assembly 40 includes an air circulating fan 55 mounted on frame 41 to direct air radially through the space defined by the frame 41 and the wall 51. The frame side members 42 and the top and bottom fan supporting cross members 45 and 46 each, at approximately midway thereof, carry a frame mounting bolt 57. The fan 55 includes a fan cage 58 upon which are provided at 90 intervals four loop-forming protuberances 59 for engagement with, and fixture on, the mounting bolts 57.

Space heating provision is included for heating the air which is circulated by the fan 55, by means of an electric heating coil 60 carried by stand-E insulators 61 on the fan cage 58. The heater coil 60 is connected to be energized through the electric cable 63 independently of the energization of the fan 55.

Also provision is made for adding moisture to the circulated air when called for by the controls 14 to maintain a given humidity. A pair of spray nozzles 64 are mounted on the assembly 40 on a transverse sheet metal strip 65 having its opposite ends welded to the vertical frame members 42. A branched conduit 66 connects the nozzles 64 to one portion of a quick disconnect water coupler 67. The coupler 67 is rigidly fixed to small plate 70 welded to the top fan supporting cross member 45. Water for the spray nozzles is supplied through a water supply hose 71 terminated by a quick disconnect coupler 72. The quick disconnect coupling device may conveniently be of the non-drip type wherein the water is prevented from flowing when the coupler is disconnected.

The nozzles 64 are directed to spray downwardly into the path of air from the fan 55 and against a cooling plate 75. The excesse water, which is not picked up by the air, drains from the cooling plate 75 into a drain trough 76. A drain tube 77 is provided from the trough 76 through the back wall 51 as a means by which may be removed the excess water from the nozzles 64 and the condensate from the cooling plate 75.

The cooling plate 75 is interposed in the path of the air flow between fan 55 and the wall 51 and provides a means by which additional air cooling may be effected. The plate 75 is removably held to the back wall 51 by spring clips 78. Inlet and outlet water connections 79 are connectable with an inlet water hose 80 and an outletlet water hose 81 through a pair of identical quick disconnect couplers 82. The cooling plate 75 includes water passageways 85 formed therein and is constructed of aluminum, copper or other material of high heat conductivity.

In the operation of the hatcher, the operator sets the controls 14, and the unit is allowed to attain the desired environmental interior conditions. The tray carts 16, which have been loaded with a new hatch of eggs, are rolled into the hatcher with the card rollers 17 being received within the rails 18. After loading, the doors 11 and 12 are closed, and the maintennance of the environmental conditions proceeds automatically in accordance with the prescribed hatching conditions.

The fan 55 continuously operates to circulate air around and through the hatching to maintain a uniform temperature throughout the cabinet and to prevent localized air stagnation. In the event that additional heat is called for, it is supplied by the energization of the heating coil 60. In the event that cooling is required, the blower 25 is operated to force outside air into the cabinet, which air is normally cooler than the maintained inside temperature. However, in the event that the outside air supplied by the blower 25 has a higher dry bulb temperature than the inside air, it is possible that it has a lower wet bulb temperature. The admission of the drier air would decrease the humidity and would cause the initiation of spray through the nozzles 64. The latent heat of vaporization absorbed by the evaporated water has the eifect of cooling the interior air. The damper plate 39 may be adjusted to control the rate of air exchange effected by the blower 25, and additional air cooling is effected by the cooling plate 75 through which water may be passed to cool the circulated air in the event that the cooling caused by the blower 25 is insufiicient.

Upon the completion of the hatch, and upon the removal of the tray carts 16, the rails 18 may be removed by lifting to expose the drain openings 22; the air circulating assembly 40 may be removed by lifting the frame 41 out of engagement with the eye bolts 50; and the cooling plate 75 may be removed, if desired, by disconnecting the couplers 82 and removing the spring clips 78. Therefore, it is seen that the entire hatcher ventilating system which may be adversely effected by hosing may be readily removed, and the interior may be hosed out with water and detergents in preparation for a new hatching load.

While the form of apparatus herein described constitutes a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise form of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A hatcher comprising a cabinet with front wall, a back wall, side walls, ceiling and floor, a cooling blower received in said front Wall and arranged to force outside air only into the interior of said cabinet, a baffle positioned on said front wall to direct the air from said blower toward said floor, an air circulating fan, means removably mounting said fan on said back wall in spaced relationship thereto with said fan positioned to direct air against said wall, a cooling coil, means removably mounting said coil in interposed relation between said fan and said back wall to be in the airstream from said fan, and an adjustable air exhaust damper mounted in said ceiling and adapted to control the rate of flow of air forced into said cabinet by said blower.

2. A hatcher comprising four substantially parallel walls and a floor and ceiling, means forming a door access opening in a first wall, an air circulating assembly mounted on a second Wall opposite said first wall and removable as a unit therefrom, said assembly including a hanger of tubular stock having a pair of substantially vertical side members terminated in top and bottom offset depending portions, eye bolts fixed to said second wall and arranged to receive said depending portions in the mounted position of said assembly, a fan cage fixed to said side members, and a fan in said cage arranged to force air into the space defined by said members and said second wall.

3. A hatcher comprising four substantially parallel walls and a floor and ceiling, means forming a door access opening in a first wall, an air circulating assembly mounted on a second wall opposite said first wall and removable as a unit therefrom, said assembly including a hanger of tubular stock having a pair of substantially vertical side members terminated in top and bottom offset depending portions, eye bolts fixed to said second wall and arranged to receive said depending portions in the mounted position of said assembly, a fan cage fixed to said side members, a fan in said cage arranged to force air into the space defined by said members and said second wall, and a cooling plate releasably fixed to said second wall and positioned in the path of air from said fan.

4. A hatcher comprising four substantially parallel walls and a floor and ceiling, means forming a door access opening in a first wall, an air circulating assembly mounted on a second wall opposite said first wall and removable as a unit therefrom, said assembly including a hanger of tubular stock having a pair of substantially vertical side members terminated in top and bottom offset depending portions, eye bolts fixed to said second wall and arranged to receive said depending portions in the mounted position of said assembly, a fan cage fixed to said side members, a fan in said cage arranged to force air into the space defined by said members and said second wall, a cooling plate releasably fixed to said second wall and positioned in the path of air from said fan, a drain trough received on said second wall below said plate to receive condensate therefrom, and a humidity spray nozzle carried by said frame and arranged to direct spray downwardly against said plate in the path of air from said fan.

5. A hatcher particularly adapted for the batch hatching of successive loads of preincubated eggs from an incubator, comprising a cabinet, an air circulating assembly removably mounted on one of the walls of said cabinet for maintaining a circulation of air therein, said assembly including a hanger having a pair of spaced apart substantially vertical side members, a pair of spaced cross members extending between said side members and having opposite ends connected thereto forming a rigid fan support frame, the upper and lower ends of each of said side members adapted for removable attachment to said cabinet wall and including inwardly and downwardly turned semi-circular loops formed in each said upper ends and inwardly and downwardly depending portions formed in each said lower ends, means defining hanger assembly retaining fasteners on said cabinet wall and positioned for removably receiving said downwardly turned upper and lower ends of said side members providing for the removal of said assembly from said wall by lifting, and a fan cage mounted on said assembly at said side and cross members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,002,880 Brack May 28, 1935 2,176,484 Blakeslee Oct. 17, 1939 2,203,335 Lager June 4, 1940 2,281,339 Taggart Apr. 28, 1942 2,319,091 Smith May 11, 1943 2,479,030 Taggart Aug. 16, 1949 2,654,345 Edwards Oct. 6, 1953 

